Ekiti 2018: Fayemi, Oyegun draw battle line with Tinubu

By DANLADI USMAN, Abuja

The drama over the primary election of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has renewed the grand plot for the dismantling of the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu political dynasty in the South West by the emergent new leaders from the zone groomed in Abuja. The violent disruption of the Saturday, May 5, primary election by agents of one of the aspirants showed the height of desperation, distrust and suspicion among the aspirants and their political principals. All indicators reveal that the political gang up in the Ondo State governorship election is being repeated in the Ekiti governorship election with the potential danger that the governorship election may not be free, fair and transparent.

The emergent neo-leaders in the South West comprising prominently of Tinubu’s political pupils on executive appointments in Abuja aligned with the APC leadership to consolidate their forte.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Minster of Solid Minerals Development has from the outset not hidden the source of his power from Abuja with associated threats to maximize the federal might to bulldoze his way back to the seat of power in Ekiti State which he lost to incumbent Governor Ayodele Fayose.

In his declaration speech, Fayemi had vowed that APC will deploy everything within the constitution to ensure that whoever emerges in the May 5 party primary will triumph over the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14 governorship election. Unfortunately, the May 5 primary election was perceived to be manipulated in favour of Fayemi which led to its disruption.

In an interaction with Ekiti State Working Committee (SWC) led by the State Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemi Olaleye, Fayemi had declared: “We will use local, state and federal powers to take over Ekiti from a rapacious and government being run by brigand in Ekiti.”

The minister subsequently boasted: “They said the June 21 governorship poll is free, fair and credible, so that of July 14 will be free, fair and transparent as well. They will accuse us of so many things. They will accuse us of using federal might, but we will not care.”

He maintained: “Yes, I am holding an important position in this government through the grace of God and by the magnanimity of our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, and I am satisfied with it if politics that I play is for me and my family alone.”

Apparently, Fayemi confidently made it obvious that the machinery of the federal government has been deployed to his service to rig his way to Ekiti State Government House in July 14 governorship election.

There are indicators that the APC National Chairman, Chief john Odigie-Oyegun, and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) may have tacitly worked out the political architecture that would secure the party governorship ticket for Fayemi even before the election commenced.

In constituting the APC Primary Election Committee in Ekiti State, the national leadership appointed Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State Chairman; and Magaji Aliyu, Secretary, of the Committee. Al-Makura had been identified as a close political ally, associate and business partner of Fayemi. The committee Secretary, Magaji Aliyu, has also been identified to have benefited from contract award in Ekiti State in the Fayemi administration in the past. Indeed, a former Aide to Fayemi admitted the contract patronage but explained that the contract was awarded by Fayemi’s predecessor, Segun Oni, while the payment was made by his principal. However, both committee members are believed to have establish strong bonds which may mount pressure on them to ensure that Fayemi wins the election. The latent interference of the APC national leadership was also indicated to have been extended to the selection of delegates to the primary election in Ekiti which was said to tilt in favour of Fayemi.

The entire configuration culminated into suspicions that Fayemi and Oyegun have consolidated the alliance with which they fought Tinubu in the Ondo governorship election which is being adopted for the Ekiti governorship contest.

Oyegun and Tinubu have been having running battle since the Ondo election, leading to Tinubu insisting on the removal of eh national chairman. The running battle culminated into Tinubu’s opposition fo0r tenure extension for the national chairman and other members of the NWC.

Oyegun who will be leaving office of the national chairman  in June fighting the finishing battle of his leadership with Tinubu since he has nothing to loose anymore after the tenure extension endorsement was overturned a month later by President Muhammadu Buhari ihn line with Tinubu’s opposition.

Tinubu had before the Saturday, May 5 primary election, held a meeting with the APC aspirants where they agreed to accept the result of the primary and support the winner but events turned sour on discovery that the primary was being manipulated.

Meanwhile, in an intervention meeting held in Abuja at the instance of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there was a new proposal for the APC to conduct direct primary election which will involve more party members in the voting process rather than delegates’ election. But the national leadership insist on the delegate election and the continuation of the process by Governor Al. Makura and the election committee, same people accused of manipulating the inconclusive primary election.

Fayemi also has strong alliance with the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, and Muiz Banire, APC National Legal Adviser, etc.

The foregoing phenomenon creates further conflicts and power contest between the South West APC leaders and the APC national leadership.

Former APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, after the intervention meeting convened by Tinubu, had said that the South West leaders had to intervene to prevent the re occurrence of theSaturday incidence that disrupted the primary. He admitted that the South West leaders do not have the final say but the national leadership. “I was not part of that process. I am now part of the new process so that we don’t have the kind of katakata that happened at the first primary,” Akande declared.

There are strong indications that direct primary may not favour Fayemi, thus, the insistence of the APC national leadership on delegates election.

Earlier political calculation in which the screening committee of the aspirants gave a total negative report on Fayemi aroused suspicion that Tinubu was scheming to edge the minister out of the race. The screening committee report, however, did not have any influence in subsequent activities.the party has no time for more negotiations and will be returning to the poll on Friday, May 10 to conduct the rescheduled primary election for the July governorship poll.that election will decide the final battle to demystify the Tinubu dynasty in Ekiti State.